


The Ten Steps to Becoming a Slytherin

by BuckNat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Gryffindor Albus Severus Potter, Gryffindor Scorpius Malfoy, More characters to be added, Slow Burn, Slytherin Rose Weasley, Transformation Tuesday, albus is the face palm emoji, but wants to change, more relationships too, rose is hermione II, scorpius is an angel, ten steps, who's down to help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 15:43:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11084730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckNat/pseuds/BuckNat
Summary: When Rose was placed into Slytherin it was finally determined that the Sorting Hat did indeed make mistakes and Rose is mostly happy to go along with that, but as she prepares to enter her final year at Hogwarts she decides it's high time to start living up to her house. Enlisting the help of Scorpius, King of not living up to expectations, and Albus, King of not giving a fuck, Rose attempts to start fitting into her house, and perhaps a fake relationship with a Malfoy is exactly what it's going to take. ((It's better than the description I'm sorry))





	The Ten Steps to Becoming a Slytherin

**Author's Note:**

> So this is gonna (hopefully) be a long fic, and I'll try to update regularly, but that won't be till post exams. This chapter is just kinda a preview of Scorpius and Rose and we'll get to the main plot soon.

Rose Weasley was, as per usual, hidden away in her favourite corner of the library. It was the furthest desk from the librarian (she had actually measured this) and was in the middle of a section of tall bookshelves that meant no one could spot her unless they were standing right next to the desk. She looked down to consult her list of reading books and pulled a large book from one of the unstable piles surrounding her.

Flipping through the book, Rose slowly grew more and more sleepy. Normally reading giant tomes that detailed any sort of history was an embarrassingly exciting affair for her. She hated to say, and rarely admitted that, she was a history buff, but alas she was. For her it seemed a logical pastime for anyone who was intrigued by human behaviour, and of course anyone wanting to not repeat past mistakes. Al often told her that it was all well and good avoiding past mistakes but it was his belief she managed it by not stepping out of the house enough to do so. His hair had been purple for a week after that. 

Still she had to admit that right now reading this particular book was making her want to fall asleep, and its pages were beginning to look more and more like a comfortable pillow. Absentmindedly she thought it odd that a book about her favourite historical event- the Disappearance of the Great Illusionist in 1867- was putting her to sleep. Her eyes were drifting shut, and her head falling onto the book when she startled as she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Rose!” the owner of the hand said loudly- rather too loudly for the library, she thought. 

“Jeez, let a girl have some rest would you.” she told them sleepily, sitting back and rubbing her eyes. When she opened them again she was looking into the grinning face of Scorpius Malfoy. He had closed her book without leaving any kind of bookmark and she made a mental note to protect her books better next time.

“Sorry” he said somewhat sheepishly, “It’s just I’ve read this particular volume before, and, well, lets just say the Illusionists left one final trick behind them.”

“What?” Rose was still dazed, not usually one to so blatantly display her lack of understanding. Especially not to someone so close to overtaking her number one spot in class.

Scorpius laughed, amused at catching the constantly put together Rose Weasley in such a state.

“The book charms you when you read it, seems the Illusionists didn't want anyone learning a little too much about their lives, even decades later.” he told her, happy to be explaining something to the ‘brightest witch’ in their year.

Rose seemed to perk up at that, she had a pretty constant desire to be learning more, especially about her favourite topics, and that was currently overshadowing her need to put forward an all knowing image. 

“A charm? Is it on the book itself, or an incantation held in the words? Well it couldn't really be on the book, I guess, they all died out years ago- they couldn't put it on a book published 50 years after their disappearance could they? Or maybe it was a general incantation- but that would cover every mention, and I’ve read a lot of books on-” 

“They were the Great Illusionists for a reason Rose, I’m not sure we’re supposed to figure out how they did it.” Scorpius interrupted, realising she could probably go on debating with herself for hours.

“Well, yes, obviously.” Rose said, rolling her eyes. “Just because I enjoy reading about them doesn't mean I’m going to respect their every wish.”

Scorpius was beginning to enjoy this no nonsense Rose, even if she seemed to view him more as an obstacle to her learning than anything else.

“Wait- how did you figure out the charm?” Rose said, leaving the words 'when I didn't' unspoken, and fairly unsuccessfully trying to keep the accusation out of her voice. She would have probably figured it out at some point she told herself, but still.

“Oh don't worry, I had help. The library at home has an anti-charm incantation on it, a pretty powerful one at that. Means any book that can do anything beside be read goes through this whole ordeal when it’s brought into the library. It’s a bit dramatic to be honest. Then someone writes down whatever charm it used to have so that if it leaves the library people are warned what will happen.”

Rose was impressed. She knew the Malfoy’s operated in style, but after the War people often forgot that they had been one of the most reputed wizarding families for centuries. That tended to come with some perks.

“Thats.. kind of cool” she said tentatively, her mind racing with the possibilities that an anti-charm library could lead to, she’d look into getting it for their library at home, but the charm had doubtlessly been lost decades ago. She sighed, “Guess I wont be needing this anymore then.”

She stood up ready to put the book back into the restricted section, a place only restricted to those that lacked the necessary charms. Her mother had given her instructions on how to get in without being caught during her second year after many letters filled with complaints of the ‘normal’ libraries limitations.

“Wait,” Scorpius said, half confused himself as to why he’s said it, “I mean obviously you can't read that one, but you could come over to the manor in summer, if you wanted. To read the book I mean, and a few other if you want.”

Scorpius cursed himself, he wasn’t sure why he was being so awkward with, well, Rose. It was just Rose, and he was just being nice. He wasn't entirely sure why, but not very many other people would get that excited over a library and he was finding it wasn’t actually that bad talking to her. Something Al had been trying to tell him for years, but his head had already been filled with his other friends opinions on the awkward, slightly obnoxious girl.

“Really! That would be amazing, there are so many books that I haven’t been able to read. Quite honestly it’s been a major pain, how is one supposed to write a paper on the entire history of Goblin and Wizard interactions when most of the books have been charmed blank.” She shook her head, her irritation at the charmers evident, “I mean I get that Wizards felt guilty we treated Goblins so badly, but ignorance is not the answer.”

She looked at Scorpius just then, a slight colour rising to her cheeks, and he couldn't help but smile at her passion. They made eye contact for a few, surprisingly unawkward, seconds before Rose remembered his previous offer.

“Sorry, I get a bit carried away sometimes, that’s my most frequent feedback from professors you know? ‘Don’t go off on tangents Rose’” She quoted, rolling her eyes, “Anyway, if you really meant it, I would be so grateful, and I can just come over with Al someday so I wouldn't be an inconvenience. He’s always at yours over the summer anyway, probably to escape some of the craziness. It'd be nice to get away from it all too.”

They both grinned at that, knowing how mad summers were for the Weasley’s. Half of summer was spent looking for one relative or another.

“Cool, ok” Scorpius said, feeling a bit awkward again, “Just owl first I guess? Maybe have a think what books you want to look at before you come, it’s a pretty big library.”

“Yeah of course, We’re going away for the first month or so of the holidays, mum is protesting in America about their new President.” Rose shook her head softly, obviously used to these excursions, “You know he’s still not been retold about Wizards? After the first try they had to obliviate him, he went a bit crazy after finding out. Anyway, I’ll be back mid august probably, so I guess I’ll see you around that time?”

“Great, gives me enough time to hide the books I don't want you to see,” Scorpius teased, “Can’t have you figuring out how I keep up with you in class.”

Rose huffed a laugh, and Scorpius was fairly certain he heard her quietly mutter that he didn't quite keep up, but he let her have that one.

Both of them realised that they had come to the natural end of their conversation, and neither of them really wanted to start making small talk, so they leant back, Rose starting to shuffle her papers together and Scorpius lifting himself out of the chair he had settled in. 

“See you around then Rose,” He said, fiddling with the book that was his actual reason for being here, “Good luck with the rest of you O.W.Ls.”

“Yeah,” Rose murmured, her chatty demeanour gone, “You too”

Scorpius turned and walked away, his thoughts turning back to exams, while Rose returned to her list of books to finish before her history of magic exam. Technically most of them were N.E.W.T level, but you didn’t get straight Os without an extra touch. 

Though both of their minds quickly became occupied with other things, and the next few weeks went by with minimal interactions between the two, there had been a shift between them. Scorpius was now unwilling to join in his friends mocking of her as she flustered herself with last minute preparation for exams, and Rose began to begrudgingly admit that perhaps he did deserve his second place in their classes. Neither of them forgot about her upcoming visit either.


End file.
